Solidarity Against Hatred Rally

Michelle A. Davis '07

This institution prides itself on perpetuating a sense of shared community. This institution prides itself on its deeply engrained sense of tradition. Where is that community? What kinds of traditions are we trying to uphold?

This rally isn't about the Review, it isn't about this term, this rally is about pervasive, overwhelming, and devastating institutionalized racism, sexism, and marginalization. The sentiments behind intolerant acts perpetrated by members of the Dartmouth "community" this term, began long, long ago.

Our institution has only been co-ed for 34 years. We are only separated from the male-only campuses and old-boy networks of your father's and grandfather's generations by a tiny march of decades. Dartmouth's legacies of institutionalized sexism, commodification and dehumanization of minority identity, in addition to marginalization of various communities based on class, gender, and racial difference are the entities that have created an atmosphere of acquiescence and apathy that have permitted the egregious acts of this term to occur.

We have come a long way-yes we certainly have. Today a Black woman can stand on the steps of Dartmouth Hall and have her voice heard-but we still have a long way to go.

Yes, we are students. But we are not ONLY students. We posses powerful voices and the ability to exercise OUR right to free speech to stop hate speech. We have the right to stand up in the face of violent and intolerant hate acts. We have the right to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Screaming hateful, racist slurs out of windows is unacceptable, punching young black men in the stomach and re-appropriating terms that should have been abolished with slavery is unacceptable, making a mockery of rape is unacceptable, pledge missions that commodify and reduce students into caricatures based on their race are unacceptable, Cowboy and Indian themed parties are unacceptable, publications that attack students and their viability as members of this institution are unacceptable. Stand up with me today and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.